A group of Staffordshire school students will open their first contemporary art exhibition next month featuring limited edition works from a range of artists including Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and David Hockney.

The exhibition at Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Brampton Museum is entitled ‘Through the Frame’ and will also feature the artwork packaging to celebrate the ‘wow factor’ of each artwork when it was first seen by the exhibition’s ‘Young Curators’ from Madeley School.

‘Through the Frame’, which opens to the public from 10 February until 14 April, is the culmination of six months of planning and is a collaboration between 14 Key Stage 3 and 4 students from the school, art dealer and former Madeley pupil Dr Jack Roberts and The Brampton Museum.

The idea for the Young Curators Art Project was devised by Madeley School’s Faculty Leader of Performance and Creativity, Katie Leath and Dr Roberts, who is a former pupil of Katie’s.

Ahead of the opening of the exhibition, the Young Curators said: “We wanted to take this amazing opportunity to share some brilliant artwork and to make art accessible for everyone.

“We have artists such as Damien Hirst, David Shrigley, Tracey Emin, Harland Miller, Jeff Koons, Kaws and a piece by David Hockney.

“Our exhibition is called “Through the Frame,” and it exhibits the pieces of art with their packaging and the boxes they come in.”

Dr Roberts, who has shared his art expertise with the pupils throughout the project and has provided all of the artwork that will be on display from his company Art Addict, explained the thought process behind the exhibition’s title.

He said: “The experience of seeing the boxes before the art built the anticipation for the group, making them even more excited to see the artworks when they were opened.

“The excitement that they felt when they saw each artwork has guided their selection. Some pieces I took in didn’t really get the deep ‘wow’ that others did as they were opened. The real ‘wow’ pieces are the ones that were selected.

“The theme of the exhibition ‘Through the Frame’ is about looking at the artists’ ideas, trying to look at meanings to the artworks,  such as why they were made. The students want to give more insight into the artworks and their thinking process.

“The exhibition will feature black boards showing a mind map of their ideas and thoughts. A David Shrigley teapot, a nod to the region’s pottery heritage, will be displayed on a potter’s wheel. The students want the exhibition to have a ‘behind the scenes’ feel that makes visitors think they are in the artist’s studio.”

The students will personally install the works at Brampton Gallery ahead of the grand opening and will also host an invite-only private viewing on 9 February.

‘Through the Frame’ will be amongst the first exhibitions to be held at The Brampton Museum following an £850,000 two-year transformation, which includes a new gallery. 

The Brampton Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 1:30pm to 5pm, find out more at newcastle-staffs.gov.uk.